Enceinte
by Nosferatu's Cigarette Binge
Summary: A tale of Alicia's suffering after she discovers Peter has had another affair... with his crisis manager. Suggestive themes, mild cursing. Mostly re-vamped, first written April 2012.
1. Infrunite

Alicia Florrick absent-mindedly tapped an ink pen against her desk as she awaited the arrival of Kalinda Sharma. Alicia hadn't seen her in the two days since her alleged meeting with Eli, and was growing impatient. She'd even tried to get Kalinda's cell, but each time it had gone directly to voicemail, making Alicia even more apprehensive about the outcome of the investigation. She feared Kalinda's avoidance was due to the fact that there was truth behind the rumors that Eli and her husband were having an affair, and being her friend, didn't want be the one to break the news. Alicia considered this, but tried to silence her disruptive thoughts by sticking with the assumption that Diane had assigned her to a difficult case... or that she might be having personal issues - or even that she was sick - and attempted to dismiss the fact that Ms. Sharma couldn't be bothered to answer her phone or be seen stalking the halls of Lockhart/Gardner.

Alicia stopped fidgeting with the ink pen and resumed typing on her keyboard. She couldn't will Kalinda to show up any faster by staring at the walls filled with paranoia.

Her perseverance paid off, almost shockingly, for within minutes she was graced with the vision of Kalinda Sharma commandeering the halls in a knee baring skirt, red blouse, belt, and her most beloved boots. Unfortunately, Cary Agos also tagged alongside her, which meant it would be an even longer wait before Alicia would be able to speak with Kalinda. She let it go, knowing that though Cary was as of now willingly ensnared in Kalinda's web, he couldn't possibly follow her around all day... or at least she assumed not. He did have a job after all.

Hoping Kalinda wouldn't notice she had anticipated her arrival, Alicia focused her attention on her computer and allowed a grin to appear on her clinique painted lips.

~o~o~

Eighteen minutes later.

~o~o~

After parting ways with Cary, Kalinda knocked on the door of the glass room which encased her friend. Upon hearing the soft tapping, Alicia looked up from her computer.

"Hi. Diane asked me to drop this off." She handed Alicia a yellow envelope. "It has to do with the Rubin Farr case."

"Thanks. So, umm, what's new?"

"Not much."

"How is the investigation into that Luther Boggs guy going?"

Kalinda shrugged her shoulders. "About as well as you can imagine. We now have proof that he killed his entire family after Thanksgiving dinner." She sighed.

"So... I haven't seen you around for a couple of days."

"I've been busy. I'm working on four cases now and a few other things."

"Wow. Four cases, you are busy. I feel badly that I have you checking out things for me while you're already over-worked."

"It's not a problem."

Alicia knew there was no point in beating around the bush. "Kalinda, were you able to find anything?"

Kalinda shifted her gaze from Alicia to the tips of her boots. The online rumor was true, every word of it. If she'd only known that when she agreed to help Alicia.  
She'd thought it was all a silly lie. Something that Stephen Colbert could make a joke about.

Biting her lip, Kalinda broke the awkward silence with three words. "It's all true."

Alicia looked down, she didn't want Kalinda to see that her eyes had started to tear up. She pretended to find interest in the contents of the envelope Kalinda had given her. After a few seconds passed, she looked away from the crime scene photos and into Kalinda's eyes as she finally spoke, "Thank you, I don't need to hear any more."

Kalinda had readied her cellphone to show Alicia evidence of the affair, if she'd asked for it, but she was glad she didn't have to expose her to anymore heartache.

Kalinda wanted to console Alicia, but before she could say anything she was caught slightly off guard by the half lidded eyes of David Lee as they peered around the corner of Alicia's office. His eyes were soon followed by one of his hands as it wrapped around the frame of the door in the same mannerism of a sloth.

"Hate to break up the girl talk but if this -" he gestured '- Isn't really important, I need Alicia to come with me for a little while. Business," he flatly stated and popped a couple more M&M's in his mouth.

"Sorry, Kalinda, maybe we can talk later," Alicia said as she gathered the papers on her desk.

**To be continued...**

******A/N  
**Rubin Farr is from the movie _Rubin and Ed,_ and Luther Lee Boggs is a character from the _X-Files_ episode _Beyond the sea._

I found an older Tabloid today that stated: "_Tiger Woods slept with 121 women while married."_ I instantly thought of Peter Florrick.


	2. Satyromania

A moment three weeks later found Alicia casually leaned against the kitchen counter in Will Gardner's apartment. Sipping from a glass of wine, she was more than happy to remain silent as she listened to Will prattled on about his day.

Soft music from the living room and the hiss of frying vegetables masked the hum of her cellphone as it vibrated against the hardwood counter behind her, so that at first she didn't know what Will meant when he asked if she was going to, as he phrased it: "Get that."

"That what?" she wondered, then realized he had meant the phone she'd somehow forgotten. She uncrossed her arms, reached for the cell and was puzzled to see Grace's number on the caller ID. Will read the expression on her face as apprehension and asked if something was wrong.

"I don't know. It's Grace, she's supposed to be with Peter." she rushed the sentence before answering. "Grace, is everything ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine Mom. I just wondered if you could do me a huge favor. I forgot my history project in my bedroom and need to have it done by Monday. I thought since you're home and Dad is gone I could go ahead and finish it... I mean, if you wouldn't mind getting it. I would do it myself, but you told me I'm not supposed to take the bus by myself at night."

"No, Grace, it's fine. I'm glad you called. Where is your Father?"

"I don't know, he left about ten minutes ago. He said he had an important meeting with Mr. Gold and would be gone a while."

_Eli_, she couldn't believe it. "Ok, it might take me a little while to get it to you, sweetie. I'm, um, out getting dinner." In this case she figured she wasn't lying, in a way you could consider it take-out

"Thanks Mom, love you."

"I love you too. Bye."

Ending the call, Alicia put the phone to her chest and looked to Will, who had kept watch over her the entire time she'd been speaking. When her gaze met his, he looked away, pretending to hush a sudden urge to add a few more ingredients to the simmering pot in front of him. "Is everything Ok?" he asked without prying his eyes from the stove-top, attempting to seem unconcerned.

"Yes, everything is fine. But I'm going to have to leave in a few minutes. Grace wants me to get her history project so she can work while Peter is gone."

"Wait a minute, Peter left?" he asked facing her, cooking utensil raised and dripping on the floor.

"Yep," Alicia said as she pushed herself from the counter by her elbows.

"Why? Did he have some sort of emergency?"

"Well, I suppose he would say being over-sexed is an emergency..."

"He left his daughter in the middle of the night to... OK... that is an all new low," Will shook his head. "I'm not even going to touch that... If you want to stay with Grace for a while I'll keep the corned beef on low. When you come back it'll be cooked to the point where it will just melt in your mouth." He licked his lips in a cartoonish manner which made Alicia laugh.

"Sounds good, but what are you going to do while I'm gone?"

"You mean other than miss you?" he asked as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "I'm sure there is a ballgame of some sort on TV."

"You and your ESPN... Thank you, Will," she said before she kissed him and left.

Alicia drove to Peter's apartment after collecting Grace's homework; maneuvering the streets as if she were attempting to break free from the gurgling bowels of hell. Her shifty driving was influenced by the all too vivid images racing through her mind, Peter and a faceless hooker wreathed together in repulsive pulsating stasis. One disgusting x-rated scenario morphed into another and then another. The visions just so happened to appear simultaneously with the passing of each street lamp, causing the light to pierce her eyes as the visions erupted in her mind, clouding her judgement to a breaking point.

For once she actually wished Peter was with a hooker because she couldn't deal with another betrayal from Eli, or any of her other so-called friends. For if Eli and Peter were truly together, they were more than likely not going over the sort "campaign" Peter had led poor Grace to think they were.

~o~o~

Once she made it to Peter's she knocked on the door. When Grace answered, Alicia asked if he had come back yet.

"No," Grace answered. "Are you going to stay?"

"I'll stay with you for a little while, but I would like to leave before your father comes home."

"Ok," she said quietly, secretly hoping that Peter might come home early. Grace remained in the dark as to what had caused her parent's argument and being ever so childlike, assumed whatever it was, it could be remedied.

~o~o~

Alicia spent the next half-hour trying to help Grace with her homework. Grace finally told her he could do the rest on her own, so Alicia got up, and stretched her legs by walking back and forth over the living room, which in turn distracted Grace so much that she suggested her mother check out Peter's decorating skills, or rather lack thereof in the rooms upstairs.

Alicia acted on Grace's suggestion and looked the rooms over, attempting to avoid Peter's, but in passing she accidentally peeked through the half-open door, immediately spying his unmade bed. Something urged her to enter, but before she did, she peered behind to see if Grace was watching - she wasn't - and so she crept in. Alicia stood at the foot of his musty bed and surveyed the room. When her eyes landed on Peter's computer, she daringly decided to search for anything that might link him to Eli or anyone else.

She looked through Peter's photos and documents, but came out empty-handed until she went to videos. In that section were many unnamed windows movie files, which made Alicia curious, she had never known Peter to make films other than their old home movies. Therefore, she assumed the files must have something to do with the campaign. She arose, gently closed the door and plugged in Peter's headphones before hitting play on the first video.

She couldn't tell what she was seeing at first, then all at once, it became sickeningly unmistakable. Peter and a blonde, someone other than Amber Madison, committing unspeakable atrocities in a posh hotel room. She hurriedly turned it off, heart pounding in her chest. Alicia went back the folder and was repulsed to see roughly 20 or 30 more. _They can't all be sex tapes can they?_ she wondered, as she started another.

Alicia saw him once again in a state of undress with a girl, then another - and this was repeated again and again until there was a sudden, strange departure in the grainy footage: the sight of Eli laying half drunk in a messy bed, wine glass in hand. Though she couldn't hear him, he appeared to be talking. She saw him glance over in confusion as Peter crawled into the same bed as he, and later slithered over his lower body, resting on him. Peter begin to chat, as if what he was doing wasn't strange at all.  
She could only hear faint murmurs of their conversation before Peter commenced to flirtatiously undo the lower buttons of Eli's shirt. Eli recoiled in confusion and continued to fumble in a drunken fog; finally spilling his drink on himself. Peter tried to convince Eli to roll over on his side so that he could, as he put it: "Soak up that stain" and accidentally - and oh so conveniently - he kicked the camera, knocking it on the floor. But Alicia could still hear them as they within minutes made love. Eli was apparently really, REALLY drunk.

She listened against her will as tears welled her eyes. She didn't know what emotion was behind the tears, she just let them fall freely until she heard her daughter's voice behind her. In a fury, she paused the video on a still of the blackened floor and ripped the headphones from her ears.

"Grace!" she exclaimed as she turned.

"I'm sorry mom, I didn't mean to bother you. I thought something was wrong, I called three times and you didn't answer..."

Alicia held up the headphones in one hand and pointed to them with the other, "Yeah, I couldn't hear you... Youtube." She managed a slight smile.

"What are you upset about?"

"Hmm? Oh," she wiped her eyes, "I just watched a sad video."

"Oh... sorry."

"What do you want, Honey?"

"Uh, dad is coming home. He said he was calling from the Burger King down the street, so it won't be long."

Grace had wizened up and decided that maybe it wouldn't be a very good idea for her dad to come home without her mother knowing first.

"Ok, thanks."

"Are you going to stay after all?"

"No. I need to get home."

"Alright," she said disappointedly, then smiled. "I didn't know you liked to watch YouTube videos mom. I'll email links to some funny ones so you can have something that will make you happy when you get home."

"That's really thoughtful of you, Grace. Thanks."

"No problem. I'll go clean off the table before dad comes home."

As soon as Grace left the room Alicia took a flash drive from her purse and copied the video of Peter and Eli, along with a few others just in case she ever needed evidence.

She walked down the stairs, told Grace she loved her and that she hoped that the rest of her weekend with Peter would be fun before she left the building.

~o~o~

Alicia made it outside the building without running into her husband, now all she had to do was unlock her car and...

"Alicia, what are you doing here?" Peter bellowed out, sounding pleased to see her.

She closed her eyes in sheer detestation, ignored him and opened the car door.

"Hey! I got four Whoppers and some fries in this here bag, you wanna come in and share them with us?" he happily asked, munching on a fry.

Alicia turned, looking first to the greasy Burger King bag in his hand, then to his grin, "How can you act as though nothing happened?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You know damn well what I'm talking about."

"Oh, Alicia, are you still mad about the talk I had with your mother?"

"Wha- No. Eli!"

"Eli? What did he do this time?" he asked, preoccupied with the contents of the bag.

"Oh. give it up Peter! I know you've been sleeping with him."

"What?!" Peter looked at her with a smug grin on his face, almost laughing, hoping that if he did so she wouldn't know how much she'd shaken him. Alicia's face remained emotionless and his smile quickly faded. "It really hurts to know how little faith you have in me Alicia," Peter's voice was low and steeped in anger. Alicia, however, remained unmoved. "Believe me," Peter continued, "there's no truth to the rumor. He sleeps around, just not with me. He's a total man-whore."

"It takes one to know one, Peter."

Peter simply shook his head, crossed his arms and fought a grin, which annoyed Alicia so much she finally raised her voice. "Our relationship is over and I suggest you seek help. You have an addiction."

"It's over?! Because of this? Unbelievable. Just un-freaking-believable. I thought things were finally getting better between us!"

"They were until you did this... look at you! You couldn't even spend the night with your daughter without taking a little "break."

"After all this you're implying I did something other than go to Burger king? C'mon, Alicia."

"Oh, I'm sure you had it your way, just not at Burger King. Unless they are now offering a completely different type of service at the drive thru... Damn it Peter! I put all of my faith in you for years. Even after I found out that you slept with my best friend I stood by your side because I thought you could change! I was actually that naïve!" Alicia stepped away from him. "Peter, I saw you! I heard you and Eli having sex."

Peter was stunned, he shook his head, "Wh-"

"It doesn't matter how I did. I -"

"What started this? Did Kalinda doctor some evidence? I want to know how you think you have proof?"

"I told you I saw the video, don't make me go into detail! How long have you been cheating with him?!"

"Tell me something Alicia, can you justify your relationship with Will Gardner?"

"God, Is that always how it's going to be now? When you feel the least bit threatened you have to bring Will into the conversation?"

"I think I have every right to."

"No, you don't, Peter. I am not going to allow you to turn this into a fight about Will. Stop trying to avoid this, I want you to at least respect me enough to tell me the truth!" Alicia shouted.

"The truth? You want the truth?" he screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Yes."

"Well the truth is, everything happened so fast I couldn't help myself..."

"You could have but you didn't," Alicia sneered.

"Yeah, you're right. I didn't fight, but why would I? Have you ever looked at the man's Tuchus!? Muy perfecto!" he kissed his fingers to the moon.

Alicia's face was unreadable, she just stared at him, unable to move because she was so full of anger. Finally she stepped over the curb and into her car, slammed the door and took off, leaving the silhouetted bulk of man to nibble on another fry in a swirling cloud of exhaust.


	3. Wepmankin

Marissa Gold became aware of a row being set in motion a mere one or two hundred feet from where she stood examining the greeting cards at a Target department store.

As time passed, and the expletives continued to be heatedly exchanged amongst the unseen shoppers, Marissa arrived at the conclusion that she should investigate just what sort of riff-raff the delinquent cries were issuing from. She pushed her cart an aisle or two over, quickly spotting a mass of angered male forms gesticulating wildly as they fought tooth and claw over a DVD. Bitterly disappointed by their showy crapola, she 'tsk'd' and rolled her eyes without thinking. _Men._

Marissa set out to discover which particular Television series contained so much power it could weaken uptight, business suited men into resorting to tawdry theatrics amid crowded discount shopping centers. As she came closer - her steely gaze penetrating the broad backs of the ungovernable lotus eaters - she hoped they would come to realize their insurmountable selfishness and idiocy had disrupted an otherwise blissful shopping experience for herself and countless others.

If they did not shape up soon, they would be shipped out... By security. Wink, wink.

She grinned and marched on, feeling pleased with herself for doing what she believed to be a good deed until, out of shock, she stopped dead in her tracks as she became conscious, with numbing stupefaction, that a certain slick haired, shadowy blackguard at the far end of the small crowd - the most overworked and loudest of them all - was none other than her father Eli.

The group fought for a few more seconds, before the shadowy one, anger penetrating his spectral skin in an inconspicuous sombre cloud, shook the madness out of his system in a truly most distressing manner; seconds before erupting in a loud caustic laugh intended to mock the others as he victoriously leapt away to the check out area on the very tips of his patent leather shoes. Hard-won DVD clasped tightly to his chest.

Marissa, stunned to the point of temporary immobilization, remained fixed in place until her wits finally returned. She regained control of her cart and hurriedly tried to follow his steps. But alas! with so many obstacles - mainly people - blocking her path, she made it to the check out area only after he had long since disappeared.

Fully believing the entity she had witnessed dissipating into frenetic spasms was most certainly the phantasm she - regrettably at times - called her father, still didn't make her feel like abandoning her items to scour the parking lot in search of an ill-tempered vampiric man she would more than likely not find.

~o~o~

Taking her place in line, Marissa started flipping through the pages of a tabloid, intending to drop by Eli's apartment after leaving the store. Something wasn't right with him and hadn't been for a few months now. He had been speaking openly about his feelings, his childhood, subjects she wasn't comfortable with or used to hearing. In fact, the only recent time he had behaved in this way was when he first starting obsessing over that Natalie Suarez, uh... Betty Flores... oh whatever. The girl who was too young for him. The girl he had been too cowardly to do anything about.

Marissa intended to sink a hypothetical pickax into, and beyond, the shield covering the paradox within her father. Regardless if he wished her to do so or not. Truthfully she wasn't all that hyped up about doing it either, _the Big Bang Theory_ would be on tonight and she'd have to miss it for goodness sakes.

She continued to leaf through the tabloid, thinking rather than paying attention to its contents, when an advance in the line forced her to re-enter the consciousness of red fluorescent Target splendour and left her wishing for the love of God it hadn't, for unknowingly, she'd left the magazine open on an article on Honey Boo-Boo and her family. Marissa didn't care what her dad said, where else but America could you find suck at this level?

~o~o~

Balancing a couple of take-out containers on her knee, Marissa unlocked the door to her father's apartment. Once inside, she placed the containers and keys on the kitchen counter and proceeded to search for any sign of life within the hollowed walls of Gold. None of the lights were on, so, she presumed her father was out.

Marissa didn't want to admit it, but she was actually kind of anxious to see him. She had been staying with her Aunt for the last couple of months but came home early in surprise. However, with Eli gone, she could freely snoop trough the place! Before she did so she wanted to be confidant in the knowledge that amongst other things her father definitely wasn't crouched in a corner quoting the script to, _Margret's Museum_, lip syncing to No Doubt's _Return of Saturn_, flamenco dancing, etc, etc... Well, she did want to eliminate _all_ scenarios before she started ransacking the apartment.

Exiting the bedroom she came to hear faint music. Following the sound, she found herself being led into the living room, and as she rounded a corner, Marissa couldn't help but laugh to discover the source: Eli asleep on the couch with his headphones in his hand, classical music pouring out of them.

She took hold one of his sock clad feet and shook it vigorously. Still deep in slumber, his only reaction was a moan and jaunty swat at the side of the sofa. Unfazed, Marissa removed the headphones from his hand and placed them on his ears.

"Wha- oh my God!" he exclaimed and shook them off. "Was that really necessary?"

"Yes." She crossed her arms, faking offense.

Eli sat up and leaned forward. "Sorry. Oh, I forgot today was the day you'd return! Come here." He patted the empty cushion to his side on the sofa. Marissa accepted the seat and was shocked to feel her father wrap his arms around her in a hug. He ruffled a hand through her curly hair, backed away and looked her over. "You look great. New York really must have been good for you."

Marissa furrowed her brow. "Wait, is that an insult to the way I looked before I left?"

"Wh- No!"

Marissa looked him over, unsure of him and his cheery mood. "Ok. Who are you seeing?"

Eli's face became blank, he shook his head slightly. "N-No one."

"Is it Natalie again? Is she back from Washington?"

"No. I have not seen Natalie. She's probably dating a trapeze artist or something by now."

Marissa studied him, not satisfied. "That annoying fruit lady?"

"Fruit lady -oh, Stacie Hall? No. Please stop asking. I'm not seeing anyone."

"Fine, be that way," Marissa huffed as she left the sofa to enter the Kitchen. "I brought some take-out. Are you hungry?"

"Yeah, thank you."

While opening the take-out containers, Marissa tried to think of her father's romantic endeavors. She couldn't think of any one besides her Mother as another candidate. She tried thinking of the people he worked with and how he acted around them... She finally realized how completely off she'd been with her guesses.

"Peter Florrick!" she exclaimed, walking back in the room. "That... that's really disturbing. God. I want this image out of my head."

Eli was silent.


	4. Juncate

_Intertwined hands. The possessor firmly presses the hand of the possessed into thickly crumpled sheets._

_Dominated fingers grip the edge of the mattress, as if it is the only anchor weighing the soul to this realm as it inwardly reaches to the unknown._

_Light slowly fades from the scene, as if made of smoke, only to re-emerge in a dull glow._

_The outline of Peter Florrick's profile is seen against a sunlit curtain as he looks to the ceiling, smiling; widely and devilishly. Shown from his bare torso up, eyes closed. Teeth overwhelming his lips._

_The warmth of the sun dissolves into impenetrable darkness, sight restored only faintly, to linger on Peter's nails as they dig into the pale skin of a gasping man._

_Soft focus on the closed eyes of the man in Peter's bed. His glossed lids flutter open only to close again as the tip of Peter's index finger is wedged firmly between his teeth. H__eavy breath engulfs the room._

_A brief strike of light illuminates the room as Peter moves his head to the end of the bed, above twisting feet. Opening his lips to wet Eli's phalanges -_

- Alicia Florrick awoke to the sound of the doorbell ringing.

Another dream. Another one of those damned dreams. She was still for a second, repulsed by the images her subconscious had forced to witness, then hurriedly kicked aside her blanket and stepped out of bed.  
With the strange eeriness of the dream still echoing through her mind, she threw on a robe and answered the door to be met by of all people: Jackie Florrick.

"Jackie! What do you want?" Alicia didn't mind being curt when dealing with her mother-in-law.

"Are you alright Alicia? You're covered in sweat."

Alicia felt her forehead, "Yeah. I'm fine. Now, I'm going to repeat: what do you want?"

"Well, half the time you won't answer the phone when I call. This is the only sure way I can get in touch with you. We need to talk."

"Oh God," Alicia moaned. "About what?!"

"Peter called me the other night. He is beside himself, Alicia, his despair nearly broke my heart. What's done is done. Peter had a problem in the past. He's a changed man now. He said he'd never cheat again."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, dear, and I believe him. You need only look back on what you've denied Peter and work on remedying the problems that exist within your relationship. He will come back to you, Alicia, he only asks that you stop this silly behaviour; all this staying out late after work, drinking... doing God knows what, while he takes care of your children. He's worried about you, and honestly, I am too. I don't know what you think you're doing."

"Jackie, would you mind following me in here?" Alicia asked, motioning her hand toward the living room once Jackie finished.

"No, of course not."

"Just sit down here," Alicia pointed to the sofa. "this will only take a minute." She sat beside Jackie and signed into her laptop.

"Wh-what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to show you just how wonderful your son is," Alicia said with a faint sarcastic edge.

Jackie said nothing but sank deeper into the sofa, full of fear.

Alicia started a video on the computer.

"Isn't that Mr. Gold?" Jackie asked, but stopped once she realized what was happening.

"Oh my goodness. What is -" her eyes widened, " Turn it off! Turn it off!" Jackie shrieked and Alicia happily complied.

"How could you be so cruel to show this to me Alicia?! My own son!" She clasped her chest. "Where did you get this? Oh good lord. Don't tell me you were the one filming them?"

"No Jackie!. Ugh, Peter hid the camera. I got it off of his computer."

"What were you doing going through his computer?"

"Probably the same thing you were doing when you went through mine, Jackie. That's beside the point! Peter slept with Eli!"

"I don't understand, Peter's not gay!"

"No. He's not _gay._ Really, I think the only way to classify Peter at this point is just: sexual. I kept a couple of videos of him cheating with women on this flash drive too, if you want more proof that he hasn't changed."

"I don't. This has been more than enough. Well, at least as long as you and I... and the prostitutes (she included Eli in the mix of floozies) are the only people who know of this... - we are the only people who know, correct?"

"Yes, to my knowledge we are."

"Good," Jackie sighed. "Then why can't you just forgive him for what he's done? No one is perfect."

"You are unbelievable, Jackie." Alicia shook her head.

"If no harm has come from this-"

"_No Harm?!" _Alicia repeated. To her surprise, Jackie started to laugh. "Oh, this must be some sort of sick joke."

"If only Jackie, if only. I'm afraid it's no joke."

"Mr. Gold?" Jackie said, eyes glazing over, mouth held open long after she spoke his name. "Of all men in the world, why would Peter choose Mr. Gold?"

"As his impromptu whore? I don't know. I think he'll take anyone or anything as long as they are willing."

"Alicia!" Jackie didn't care for Alicia's crudeness. "He knows some very nice looking gay men..." she pondered. "What does Peter have to say about all this?"

"He wouldn't even acknowledge the truth until a few days ago. We haven't spoken since."

Alicia, wanting to change the subject, thought Jackie knew more than enough to get her started. "Jackie, if you don't mind I would like to enjoy the rest of my day off. If you want to talk to someone about this, visit your son. He's the one at fault, not me."

"I can't talk to Peter about this... it's just not right."

"Well, I'm sure Eli would be delighted to see you."

"Oh, I don't know about that..."

~o~o~

We next see Eli in a booth seated across from Jackie at a Cheesecake factory.

~o~o~

"So, Mrs. Florrick, what is so important it could only be discussed in person on my one day off?" Eli grumbled as he aimed his fork, ready to stab a slice of freshly delivered white chocolate cheesecake.

"Please, call me Jackie."

"Jackie..." he repeated in exasperation before taking in a giant mouthful of cake.

She said nothing as she looked toward the other customers. Eli impatiently watched as her gaze slowly turned to him. She smiled sweetly, noticing she had been caught. The smile faded as she looked back to her plate.

"I know," she said very quietly, fingering the edge of the table.

Eli waited for her to say something else. Seconds passed with more silence.

"You know what?" He sighed wiping his mouth with a paper napkin.

"I saw the tape."

"Good for you. What tape?"

"Oh, I think you know which tape."

"No. I am afraid I don't." He laughed insincerely before placing another fork full in his mouth.

Jackie leaned in closer and whispered, "The sex tape."

Eli was at the breaking point now. He leaned in and whispered back, "Whose sex tape?"

"Your's and Peter's."

Eli choked, "What?! I never made a -"

Jackie raised her hand to silence him, "Alicia showed it to me -"

"Alicia? Oh dear God," Eli looked nervously around the room, then to his lap in shame. "What are you talking about? Something on the Internet?!"

"No, no... we are the only people who know about it according to Alicia. She has it on some sort of file on her computer. I don't know what it's called."

"How the hell did she get hold of a sex tape? Who filmed us -" He stopped himself, feeling beyond awkward.

Jackie coughed. "Peter filmed it. But that's not what I want to talk about. Do you love my son?"

"Do I love-" He half repeated before choking again. Swallowing his cake, Eli closed his eyes, trying to think how she should answer, and to keep himself from cursing.

"Eli, you and I have been friends for, what, almost four years now?."

"We've _known _each other that long."

"I like you so much more than Alicia."

"Jackie..."

"No, No... It's true. I support your relationship with my son. If you love him, please promise me you'll tell him. Maybe then he'll finally divorce her. Now, no more talking, eat up!" she chuckled and patted the back of his hand.

Eli slowly chewed and swallowed his cake. "You are not going to break up their marriage, Jackie."

Jackie cackled wildly. "Oh Eli, don't you think I've been trying to do that for years? I've failed miserably. Now I'm leaving it all up to you."


End file.
